Dennisport man sentenced to 20 years for oxycodone trafficking scheme

A Dennisport man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday in connection with a Florida-to-Massachusetts oxycodone and money laundering scheme. According to a release from US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's Office, 34-year-old Joshua M. Gonsalves will serve 20 years in prison followed by five years supervised release. The sentence was handed down by US District Court Judge Patti B. Saris.

In addition to the jail time, Gonsalves was ordered to forfeit $1,522,372 in property including cash, a home in West Yarmouth and two vehicles (a Cadillac and a Nissan Altima).

In October 2014, Joshua M. Gonsalves and his 36-year-old brother Stanley Gonsalves of Sandwich were convicted of trafficking tens of thousands of 30-milligram oxycodone pills to Cape Cod. During the month-long trial, witnesses testified to the pills being trafficked from South Florida to Massachusetts, first by plane, then car, according to the release. The pills were delivered to off Cape homes where they were reportedly divided, repackaged and transported to Cape Cod dealers for individual sale.

Joshua Gonsalves was convicted of oxycodone trafficking, money laundering and a substantive money laundering charge. His brother was convicted of oxycodone trafficking, possessing a firearm to further oxycodone trafficking, money laundering and 17 substantive money laundering charges. Stanley Gonsalves will be sentenced on Feb. 24.

The money laundering charges focused on the millions of dollars in drug proceeds used to restock and purchase more oxycodone for distribution on Cape Cod.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Timonthy Moran and Assistant US Attorney Richard Hoffman (ret.) of US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's Office. The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Field Offices in Boston, the DEA Cape Cod Drug Task Force, the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office, the Barntable and Plymouth County Sheriff Offices and the Barnstable, Boston, Bourne, Chatham, Dennis, Franklin, Harwich, Plymouth, Sandwich, Quincy, Yarmouth and Wareham Police Departments in addition to authorities in South Carolina and Florida.

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